A Profile in Art: the bio of Pryor Art Gallery Curator Rusty Summerville

An award-winning artist/designer, Rusty Summerville has worked professionally in the creative arts world for more than 25 years.

From fine art to architectural design, his experience and background have encompassed a broad range of projects, including museum, retail and restaurant design, concept development and works of fine art. While Director of Design at Gaylord Entertainment Co., he received accolades for the design of the Grand Ole Opry Museum and has appeared on local and national radio and TV programs, including the Today Show, CBS This Morning and Entertainment Tonight.

In addition to the design of the Grand Ole Opry Museum, for which he received Tennessee Design of the Year from the American Society of Interior Designers, Summerville’s portfolio also includes the conceptual development and design of the Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl Museum (Nashville, TN), the Hank Snow Museum (Liverpool, Nova Scotia), the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and Tex Ritter Museum (Carthage, Texas), the Bible Impact Center (Crete, Ill.), Rusty’s Sports Bar (Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tenn.), concept development for Churchill Downs (Louisville, Ky.) and design of the CF Martin (HDO-28) guitar commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry.
Summerville’s artwork has been the recipient of numerous awards, among them a Best of Show from WNPT-TV and several purchase awards from other arts and public organizations.

He is currently a member of the Advisory board at the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and Tex Ritter Museum and has also served on the Student Advisory Board at O’More College of Design.

Summerville now lives and works from his farm, Revival Hill, where his creativity is currently focused on various design projects, drawing, painting and enjoying the pastoral landscapes of Middle Tennessee.